Adjustable chute.



F. V. HETZBL & H. P. COCHRANE. ADJUSTABLE CHUTE. .APPLICATION FILED MAR.15 1907.

898,886. ggg. 7.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1` Patented sept.15,19o8.

P, V. HBTZEL & H. P. GOCHRANE. ADJUSTABLE CHUTE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.15,- 1907.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

2 SHBBTS-SHBET 2.

UNITED sTATEs IIgENT oEEIoE.

FREDERIC V. I-IETZEL AND HARRY P COCHRANE, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, AS- SIGNORS TO LINK-BELT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

AD JUSTAB LE CHUTE Specification ol' Letters Patent.

Patented sept. i5, 190e.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERIC V. HETZEL and HARRY P. CooHEANE, citizensof the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain Improvements in Adjustable Chutes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in pivoted chutes andparticularly of the type used at piers for loading vessels with coal orother granular material in which the hopper and the chute are verticallyadjustable for different heights of vessels or different tides.

The object of the invention is to provide means for more completelycounterbalancing the overhanging chute than heretofore7 adding to theweight of the counterbalance when the chute is extended and relievingthe counterbalance of a portion of the weight when the chute is moved toan upright position.

In the accompanyin drawings Figure 1, is a view in elevation ilustrating a portion of a pier with the overhead structure and chuteillustrating our invention 5 Fig. 2, is a section of a portion of thestructureillustrated in Fig. l Fig. 3, is a plan view of the hoistingmechanism for the hopper and chute; Fi s. 4, 5 and 6, are diagram views,showing t e chute and hopper in different positions; Fig. 7, is a view,showing the chute in a raised position.

In the present instance, A is a pier.

B is the structure mounted upon the pier and on which are the rails b ofthe track which supports the cars of coal or other material to bedischarged through the chute.

Cbis a track hopper directly under the rails b- C is a verticalextension of the hopper. This extension is open at the front.

D is a vertically adjustable hopper into which the coal is dischargedfrom the hopper C. This hopper D is adapted to guides in the extension Cand mounted upon the hopper is a series of plates c, c and c2, whichclose the space above the movable hopper when it is lowered from theposition shown in Fig. 2 to the position, for instance, as shown in Fig.6, preventing the coal escaping over the vertically adjustable hopper.

C2 is a fixed plate arranged directly opposite the opening of the hopperC and e is a gate for closing this opening pivoted at e/ and controllediby levers e2 actuated by an operating rod c3. This form of valvemechanism forms no part of our present invention.

Pivoted to the hopper D at d is a chute F, which can be arranged at anyangle to deliver coal to a vessel at one side of the pier A.

Mounted on the structure B is a hoisting mechanism for regulating thevertical position of the hopper Dand the inclination of the chute F. Thefall of material down the chute may be regulated by any suitable gate.In the drawings I have shown a gate f pivoted to the chute and having anarm to which is attached a rope f extending to the windlass on thestructure B, but other types of gates may be used without departing fromour invention.

G is a cable ruiming from the end of the chute F to a drum G on a shaftG2 and on this shaft is a drum I-I to which is attached a cable l-Iextending to a counterweight t. On the shaft is a worm wheel g withwhich meshes a worm g on a hand shaft g2, so that on turning the handshaft the chute F can be raised and lowered.

In order to vertically adjust the hopper D, we connect a flat rope I tothe hopper and pass this around a drum I on a shaft I2 and on this shaftis a drum J to which is attached a rope J from which is suspended acounterweight The shaft I2 is driven by a hand shaft L2 through a worm gand worm wheel g. On turning the shaft the hopper D can i be raised andlowered, the worm locking the hopper in the position to which it isadjusted.

In most structures of the type shown the chute F extends a considerabledistance from its pivot l and is made very heavy, consequently in theordinary type of structure it is impossible to properly counterbalancethe chute as a weight which would counterbalance the chute when extendedas in Fig. l, would considerably overbalance the chute when in theraised position shown in Fig. 7. Therefore, aweight much lighter thannecessary is used and it takes considerable power to adjust the chute.

By our invention, we provide a variable counterbalance weight. When thechute is extended as shown in Fig. l, the full weight willcounterbalance the chute, but when the chute is raised, thecounterbalance will be relieved of a portion of its weight. Toaccomplish this we attach a rope or chain M to the underside of theweight 7L and to the under side of the weight y' and mount a series ofIIC weights m on this rope in such positions that i when the chute isextended the Weights m will add their weight to the counterbalanceweight h, but when the chute is raised, as in Fig. 7, these weights mwill be suspended from the weight j, which counterbalances the hopper Drelievlng the counterbalance h of the extra weight. Thus, by thisarrangement the shaft G2 can be readily turned and the chute adjusted toany position desired.

By attaching the chain M to the two Wei hts h and j the weights m alwaysremain in t e same relative position to the counterweight h no matter inwhat position the vertically adjustable hopper is in. For instance, thehopper 'may be in the raised position, as shown in Fig. 4, or it may bein the mid position, as shown in Fig. 5, or in the extreme lowerposition, as shown in Fig. 6, and while the chute is extended theweights m will always remain suspended from the counterbalance 7L of thechute and should the chute be raised While the hopper is in any of thesepositions its weight m will be transferred from the weight h to theweight We claim 1. The combination of a vertically adjustable hopper, achute pivoted to the hopper, a counterweight connected to the chute, acounterwei ht connected to the hopper, a series of supp emental weightsconnected to the counterweight of the chute and the counterweight of thehopper, said supplemental weights being so arranged that when the chuteis extended the supplemental weights will add their weight to thecounterbalance weight of the chute, and when the chute is raised theirweight will be transferred to the counterweight of the hopper,substantially as described.

2. The combination of a vertically adjustable hopper, a chute pivoted tothe hopper, a counterweight for the chute and a counterweight for thehopper, a series of supplemental weights so arranged in respect to thetwo counterweights that when the chute is extended they will add theirweight to the weight of its counterbalance and when the chute is raisedthey will add their weight to the counterbalance of the hopper,substantially as described.

sese

3. The combination in apparatus for loading vessels, of a track hopper,a vertically arranged extension of the track hopper, an adjustablehopper mounted in the extension, means for raising and lowering saidadjustable hopper, a counterbalance weight for the said hopper, a chutepivoted to the hopper, a counterbalance Weight for the chute, a ropeattached to two counterbalance weights, a series of supplemental weightson the rope so situated in respect to the said weights that when thechute is lowered the supplemental weights will be added to the weight ofthe chute counterweight and when the chute is raised the supplementalweight will be added to the counterweight of the hopper, substantiallyas described.

4. The combination of a structure, a track hopper, a vertical extensionof the track hopper, two shafts mounted on the structure, two drums oneach shaft, a vertically adjustable hopper mounted on the verticalextension of the track hopper, a rope extending from the adjustablehopper to one of the drums on one shaft, a rope extending from the endof the chute to one of the drums on the other shaft, a chute, acounterweight attached to the other drum on the said chute shaft, and arope attached to a counterweight and to the drum on the other shaft,means for turning the shafts independently one of the other, a loopedrope having an end attached to the underside of each counterweight, aseries of supplemental weights on the looped rope so arranged in respectto the said counterweights that when the chute is extended thesupplemental weights will be added to the counterweight of the chute andwhen raised the supplemental weights will be transferred to the weightof the hopper according to the elevation of the chute, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERIC V. HETZEL. HARRY P. COCHRANE.

Witnesses:

WM. A. BARR, Jos. H. KLEIN.

